"Seniors, friends — if any of you wish to enter together, you may follow me."
Though his gaze swept across the crowd, his words were really only meant for those who were close to him.
The moment Chu Feng said this, Long Daozhi and the others immediately set off, moving toward him.
As they flew over, they could not help but feel a swell of pride — especially Kong Tianhui. Compared to the rest, he was practically beaming, his expression brimming with smugness.
After all, they were advancing forward under countless envious gazes.
Chu Feng was so formidable now, and they shared a deep bond with him. Who wouldn't be envious?
These were people who could walk alongside a god.
In truth, the number of people filled with regret now went far beyond Gong Mingyue. There were far, far too many.
Because back then, every single one of them had once had the chance to build a good relationship with Chu Feng. It was just a pity — their eyes had been blind, and they had squandered that golden opportunity.
People like Song Yunfei, who had not only failed to befriend Chu Feng back then but had actively stood against him, now wished they could beat themselves to death.
But when Long Daozhi and the others drew close, the first thing they did was bow respectfully to Saint Light Whitebrow and the others.
There was no helping it. To them, Saint Light Whitebrow and his companions held positions far too exalted to be treated with anything but the utmost respect.
In truth, Saint Light Whitebrow didn't think much of these people at all.
But for Chu Feng's sake, he greeted them with a smile regardless.
Kong Tianhui approached Chu Feng even closer, clearly wanting to ask him something.
But before he could open his mouth, a woman's voice rang out first.
"Brother Chu Feng… are you truly in the Half-God realm now?"
The one who had spoken ahead of Kong Tianhui was an exceptionally beautiful woman — Li Ruochu, a prodigy of the Li Heavenly Clan's previous generation.
"Sister Ruochu, it's been a while."
Seeing Li Ruochu approach, Chu Feng greeted her with a smile.
"Wow, as expected of my Brother Chu Feng. If anyone else had achieved what you have, they'd probably pretend they didn't know me by now!"
Li Ruochu joked.
"I could never not recognize you all. Not in this lifetime."
As Chu Feng spoke, he also waved toward Li Yue'er, who stood behind Li Ruochu.
Li Yue'er smiled shyly. She said nothing, but the excitement shining in her eyes was plain to see.
"Tell me, tell me — are you really in the Half-God realm?"
Li Ruochu pressed again.
By now, the once-noisy surroundings had grown completely silent. Everyone was waiting for Chu Feng's answer.
"I'm not a Half-God. My current cultivation is at the eighth rank of the Martial Venerable realm," Chu Feng said.
"Then the power you used earlier?" Li Ruochu asked.
"That was the power of a senior world spirit, lent to me," Chu Feng explained.
"So the senior you're referring to is a Half-God realm world spirit?" Li Ruochu asked.
"Mm." Chu Feng nodded.
"Oh my god! A Half-God realm world spirit has submitted to you?"
"You're too much — are you even human?!"
"And eighth rank Martial Venerable — isn't that the peak of the Martial Venerable realm? You're not far from Half-God at all!"
"What kind of monster are you? How is your cultivation speed so absurd?"
"People spend thousands of years and still can't break through a single minor realm, and yet in just a few short years, you've shattered through multiple major realms?"
"Sure, there's a gap between people, but I never imagined it could be this wide. Unheard of — absolutely unheard of!"
Li Ruochu's mouth hung open in exaggerated shock, but even so, it did nothing to diminish her beauty.
As for everyone else, they were equally astounded.
Because regardless of whether it was a world spirit or not — as long as it was Chu Feng's world spirit, that was effectively the same as Chu Feng's own strength.
"Alright, Sister Ruochu, if you want to praise me, we can take our time later. For now… let's go in first."
"After all, the Darknight Divine River won't wait for anyone."
Chu Feng pointed toward the Darknight Divine River.
"Right, right, right — Chu Feng speaks wisely. Let's head down first."
At that, the crowd nodded in agreement.
Then, using his own power, Chu Feng led his friends as they all leaped into the Darknight Divine River together.
The reason Chu Feng wanted to travel with them was precisely because he sensed that the Darknight Divine River was no ordinary place, and he wished to use his own strength to protect them.
After plunging into the Darknight Divine River, Chu Feng began to descend rapidly. According to his observations, delving deeper would bring them closer to the treasure within the river.
"Oh no."
But suddenly, Chu Feng's heart lurched — something was terribly wrong!!!
At first everything had been fine. However, as he went deeper, Chu Feng realized that everyone who had been following behind him was now gone.
A force had severed him from them. He wanted to turn back, but there was no longer any chance.
Because he was no longer inside the Darknight Divine River — he had entered a sealed tunnel.
"Did I still underestimate this place?"